


Effortlessly

by Stiiliinsski



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, College, F/M, Friendship, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Unrequited Love, not sure where i'm going to go with betty and archie, we'll see
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-31
Updated: 2017-09-09
Packaged: 2018-12-22 04:22:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11959623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stiiliinsski/pseuds/Stiiliinsski
Summary: There are three things you should know about Betty Cooper. One, she always puts the needs of others above her own. Two, she has been in love with her best friend since she could remember. Three, she has a hard time letting people in.And when you combine those three things, you get Betty Cooper sharing an apartment with her one true love’s girlfriend across the hall from the man himself and his friend who uses sarcasm whenever he gets the chance but somehow manages to sneak his way into her world with his sweet, knowing smiles and clever insights.And while Jughead Jones came into her life, slowly, gradually, he burst into her heart unexpectedly and suddenly.





	1. The beggining

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Welcome to my first Bughead fanfic! Just a few things I'd like to say before we start.  
> 1st: English is my 2nd language and I don't have a beta so if you find any mistakes please alert me so that I can fix that! Criticism is how we learn. Also if you find that I've written you're instead of your or than instead of then please, please let me know because that is one thing that I cringe at!  
> 2nd as I've said this is my 1st bughead fanfic. I have only seen season 1 once so the characters might be a bit OOC, please point those instances to me so I can develop their characterization better in the future.  
> 3d Feedback is what gets me going so please, do communicate with me so that I don't get lazy. :)  
> 4th Also posted on Tumblr.  
> 5th I hope you enjoy!  
> Lu

One of the downsides of always putting other people's needs above your own is getting the short end of the stick most of the time. Betty had been put in situations where she put someone else’s wants, needs and desires above her own more times than she can remember. Whether it be something small, like agreeing to go out for hamburgers instead of pizza just because it was that time of the month and her friend was craving it. Or something bigger, like spending her one free afternoon watching after her nephew and niece just so her sister could for a little while take a break from being an adult. Betty Cooper has put the needs and wants of others above her own more times than she can remember, but never did she do someone a favor that was this big or that would cause her this much pain. And standing in front of her new apartment, ready to knock and wait for the next four years of her life to open, she started to comprehend the enormity of the decision she has made. She almost banged her head on the wall and asked herself why she had agreed to move in across the hall from the love of her life with his girlfriend. But before she could do that Veronica Lodge opened the door, squealed and pulled her into their new home.

“You’re finally here!” Veronica exclaimed and clapped her hands together.

“As promised.” Betty mustered up a smile, one that was most definitely not natural but was over the years perfected as though it was.

“Wow, Spain really agrees with you! I may or may not be a little jealous.”

“Nothing to be jealous of really. Just beaches and pretty boys.” She winked, letting her smile widen a little. Veronica laughed and pulled her into a tight hug.

“Oh, I’ve missed you, Betty Cooper.”

“I’ve only been gone for two months, V.”

Veronica smiled smugly “My point exactly.” 

Betty let her friend pull her to the couch. And Veronica was her friend. She truly was. And she could talk to her about everything, everything but that one small thing. That one small thing that in fact wasn’t that small, but huge, enormous, sometimes almost bigger than any other part of her life. Archie Andrews and her feelings for him were hers and only hers. Not one person knew that Betty Cooper, his best friend and a girl next door, was deeply and devastatingly in love with him. No one but Betty Cooper herself.

She has seen girls come into his life and then leave, sometimes even faster than they came. And when Veronica came on that faithful night into _Pop’s_ and asked if the onion rings were any good, she wasn’t really worried. But then, then she saw it. The twinkle in Archie’s eyes, the twinkle that she hasn’t seen before. Veronica Lodge came into _Pop’s_ that night, all pearls, charms and smiles and settled into their lives permanently.

At first she didn’t care. She told herself that the black haired girl would be just like all the others. But days passed and then weeks passed and then months passed and suddenly everyone knew that Veronica Lodge and Archie Andrews were, well, Veronica and Archie. And Betty was, still, just Betty.

The worst thing about it all was that no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t resent Veronica because as abruptly as she came into Archie’s life, she came into Betty’s too. Slowly but surely she gained a new friend, a _good_ friend and she was mad with herself when those little, sneaky thoughts of jealousy filled her mind when she saw her friend hold the hand of a boy who was supposed to be the love of _her_ life. _Her_ boyfriend. _Her_ partner in crime. _Her_ endgame.

The worst thing about all of it was that no matter how much it hurt her to see them together, the thought of him being unhappy pained her even more. So she kept smiling, while her heart cried. She kept laughing while her heart ached. And when Archie came, all bright eyes and excited smile into her room and told her that he had found two apartments, across from each other all she could do really, was smile herself. And when he told her that she and Veronica could share the apartment across from his and his friend’s all she could do was smile even wider because that is who Betty Cooper is.

She is that one in a thousand people who is willing to put other people’s feelings before her own. Because above everything, Betty Cooper is caring and nice and _good._

And that is how she ended up, once again in a place where she didn’t want to be and in a situation that she couldn’t get out of without hurting the ones closest to her. And once again she smiled the smile that no one could tell was fake and danced as other people played.

“So, how many guys did you meet?” Veronica asked, a wicked smile on her lips and a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

“Just one.”

“Oooh, is he a Danny to your Sandy?”

“Something like that.” He was more like a Joey to her Phoebe.

“Tell me—”

And before Veronica could finish the sentence, the door of the apartment opened and Betty turned to see a redhead that made her heart hiccup.

And this time, the smile on her lips was real and for a moment, one moment she forgot that all that could come out of this living arrangement was, in fact, heartbreak.

“Betty! You’re home!” Archie exclaimed and before she grasped what was happening he was pulling her off of the couch and crushing her in a hug.

But she didn’t mind. Her arms wrapped around him, pulling him closer and she breathed in and with a smell of him came a sense of home. Because everywhere Archie was, for her was home. And then he was letting go of her.

“Man, I have a feeling I haven’t seen you in years.”

“Yeah, same here, Arch.” She smiled widely before sitting back down, her heart racing.

“Hey, babe.” he turned his attention to Veronica, placing a chaste kiss on her lips before sitting down in a recliner across from them. “So, how are you? How was Spain?”

“I’m... good. I’ve missed being home as fun as it was across the pond.”

“She was just about to tell me about all the guys she’s met before you burst in here so rudely!” Veronica said, throwing a, how fitting, a throw pillow at her boyfriend. Archie caught it and laughed.

“Sorry, sorry. I’m not here to bother you. I just wanted to see if you needed anything cos’ I’m going to the store, but since I’m not wanted here I’ll be on my way.” He got up, still smiling before walking to the door. “I’m so glad you’re back, Betty. We’ll catch up tonight at dinner.”

“We need some milk!” Veronica yelled at the door as he closed it.

“Should’ve taught of that before you were rude to your boyfriend!” and with that he was gone, leaving Betty with an even bigger feeling of longing in her heart.

“So, dinner?” she snapped out of her taught, turning back to her friend. “We’re having dinner?”

“Yes.” Veronica perched up on her seat, smug smile spreading on her lips. “Archie decided _he_ wanted to cook you a welcome-back-meal.”

“Oh, man.”

“Yeah.”

And they laughed, ease finally washing over her.

 

***

 

 

Betty stood in front of what would be her room with only her purse in one hand and a duffel bag in the other. She opened the wooden door and was met with green walls and dark brown floors. There were two windows, one on each of the outer walls. Sunshine was lighting up the dust that danced around the air. There was a work desk under one window and a bed under the other. The only other thing inside was a huge white closet, spreading over the smaller wall.

And so she dropped her one bag on the bed and moved to look out of the window. It was a good view. She could see people walking down the street, everyone engrossed in their own lives. Across from their building was a small coffee shop. It looked nice and cozy, perfect for writing from what she could see. She would definitely go there when she settles in.

“Do you like it?” Veronica asked behind her, anticipation present in her voice.

“Yeah,” Betty replied, smiling over her shoulder “I like it.”

“It’s just like in the ad. If you don’t like it we can switch rooms.”

“V, calm down.” She chuckled, looking back down on the street. “I like it. It could become home.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” She turned back to her friend, rolling her eyes at her worrying and drawing out the ‘e’ in yes. “ Stop worrying. I’m not gonna turn on my heel and walk out.”

“I just want you to love it here.” Veronica replied sheepishly, spreading her arms out for her friend to take them in hers.

“It’s going to be great. I promise.”

“Good. Now, I’m going to leave you to start unpacking, or well, unpack that one bag…” Veronica stopped talking as if she’d just realized something. “Where are your things? Why do you have only one bag which is not even a suitcase and why am I only noticing this now?”

“My dad is driving up here tomorrow.” Betty chuckled shaking her head.

“With your mum?” Veronica asked warily, her eyes widening a little and lips morphing into a grimace.

“Yeah right. That would be a special kind of disaster.”

“Things are still bad?”

“A bit better, but, yeah, bad.” Betty sighed and sat down on her bed. “I’m so glad I went to Spain. I’m happy that I moved from all the chaos.”

“I’m sorry, B.”

“It’s fine. I’m used to it.” She shook her head, before smiling a again. “Now, leave, I have some unpacking to do. If I don’t start now I might not finish until tomorrow.”

“Uh, so glad you’ve still got your humor.”

***

She ran her fingers through her hair, tightening her ponytail before walking out of the bathroom.

“Ready, V?” she looked at Veronica who was rummaging through their fridge and laughed “What are you doing?”

“I” Veronica replied, her speech slurred because of something she was chewing “am just making sure I don’t starve to death tonight if this turns out like that dinner we had after graduation.”

“That is not a bad idea. Give me some of that.” Betty took the cherry pastry her friend offered her and went to look at her phone.

5 missed calls.

7 messages.

Her mother was on a roll.

“Let’s go.” Veronica said, opening the apartment door and walking out in the hallway, knocking on the door across from theirs. She turned to look at Betty with a wide smile on her red-rimmed lips. “I can’t believe all three of us are living in the same building. This is going to be awesome!”

Just as the word _awesome_ was leaving her lips the door was swung open revealing a grinning Archie.

“Hey, baby.” He bowed down, kissing his girlfriend softly and Betty looked away, trying to ignore the painful pang settling in her chest.

“Yeah, this is going to be _awesome._ ” And all of a sudden she could imagine the next couple of years. Archie and Veronica kissing. Archie and Veronica holding hands. Archie and Veronica whispering to each other. Archie and Veronica having _sleepovers_.

And Betty.

Betty, making up excuses not to go to movies together because all she’ll be able to think about are Archie’s arms around Veronica.

Betty, crying herself to sleep, like she did that night when she saw them kiss for the first time.

Betty, spending her college experience pining over her best friend her who never looked at her even closely to the way he is looking at the girl in front of him

And then, after the pain in her chest there is anger.

She is angry with herself. She is angry with herself because she is letting this ruin her college experience. She is angry with herself because she is in love with this boy who never looked at her that way, but still she somehow finds reasons to hope.

Sometimes she wonders if maybe, just maybe there was a time when he liked her, _loved_ her the way she loves him. Because there was a couple of times when he would look at her and his eyes would turn soft. There were times when she’d look at him and he was already looking at her. And she can’t help but wonder if maybe, just maybe there was a time when Archie Andrews loved Betty Cooper the way she loves him.

Sometimes the not knowing is her biggest regret.

Archie moved out of the doorway, holding the door wide open and she walked in, curiously looking around the apartment.

It was a bit smaller than theirs, but it had more windows. Sun was still streaming in through the pale blue curtains and she wondered if it was this bright inside even at night when the only source of light are street lamps.

She could smell the food and her stomach growled a little making Archie and Veronica look at her with raised eyebrows before laughing.

“What? I haven’t eaten all day.” She mumbled, smiling despite the rosiness coloring her cheeks.

“You’ve come to the right place then. You should see what I have in store for you.” Archie smiled widely and waved his hand, showing them to sit.

They walked towards the small, plastic dining table. Both girls exchanged glances, their eyebrows raised.

“That’s Chinese food.”

“Yes.”

“Take-out.”

“Yes.”

“Let me get this straight. I have been gone for two months and I come here and am promised a home cooked meal and I get take out?” Betty asked, trying to contain her laughter.

“Well, if you like burnt chicken you can help yourself. There’s still some left in the trash.” Archie mumbled, sheepishly looking at her and scratching the back of his head.

“Well, Archiekins, you really outdid yourself this time.” Veronica laughed alongside Betty, shaking her head.

“Yeah, yeah. I’d like to see you make something Ronni.”

“Oh, don’t be mad at me! I still think it’s adorable how you keep trying.”

Archie only smiled before calling out: “Jughead, dinner!”

Two minutes later the door behind their backs opened, then closed and Betty turned, her gaze meeting with that of a boy who she didn’t know would eventually make her heartbreak less painful.


	2. Flashbacks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own any of the characters.  
> I'm sorry that you had to wait so long. I managed to lose one fourth of what I have written and then I had a writers block and I wasn't feeling well and everything pilled up. So I apologize.  
> I do hope you enjoy this and please let me know what you think because feedback gets me going! :D  
> Also posted on Tumblr.  
> :)

 

Two weeks have passed since Betty stepped into her new apartment.  Monday has woken her up with the sound of wind weeping outside and the rain hitting the pavement and the roof and everything in its way, creating a prefect, almost peaceful melody. Not even the fact that she’s woken up half an hour before she intended agitated her. No, this was going to be a good day, a _good_ Monday.

She has decided that, months before whenever she imagined this day.

Her pillow smelled like rosemary and sleep and she was warm. If it was any other day she wouldn’t have wanted to get up. But today was not any other day. And she got up with a small smile resting on her lips and first traces of excitement bubbling up in her stomach.

She has picked out her outfit two days ago and painted her nails the night before. And maybe all that planning in advance was a bit silly, but. she was determined for everything to go as planned. She _needed_ this one day to go the way she has imagined and not the other way around.

Veronica was still asleep or it at least seemed so, when she exited her room and went to have a shower.  There was one thing that she didn’t like in this apartment. In fact, she despised it. The shower faucet. It had two round handles, one for hot and one for cold water, but in the two weeks that she’s been living here, Betty hasn’t managed to find the perfect temperature once. It’s been an ongoing war and she breathed in deeply before stepping towards the shower.

“Okay, faucet, don’t mess with me today.” She first opened the hot water valve, waited for it to arrive and then added a bit of cold. Her eyebrows almost hit the ceiling when she realized that the temperature was perfect. That was the best shower she’s had since she left home after coming from Spain.

Since she had half an hour to spare she’s decided to have breakfast at the coffee shop across from their apartment. It turned out she was right when she saw it the first day she came here and though it was lovely, the place was perfect. It was peaceful and cozy. They had good pastries and an even better cappuccino and Betty loved herself a good cappuccino.

She was just about to open the apartment door and walk out when another door opened.

“Why are you already up?” Veronica asked behind her, her voice muffled by her palms that were resting on her sleepy face.

“Sounds of nature woke me up.” She answered cheerily.

“Yeah, me too so I don’t really get how you can be so… so… chirpy.” she squinted at her laughing friend. “Are you high? Is that the reason? Oh, please stop smiling like that. It’s so creepy.”

“Oh, V.” Betty laughed, her smile widening even more. “Today is going to be perfect. I’m not going to let anything ruin it.”

“Good for you, sweety.” Her friend patted her on the shoulder before darting over to the coffee machine.

“You know, you really should substitute the coffee with breakfast.”

“What? Sorry, I can’t hear you. I don’t have caffeine in my veins yet but it sounds to me you tried to imply that I should stop drinking coffee.”

“You heard right, my caffeine deprived friend.”

“Wow, you really are high!” Veronica exclaimed widening her eyes mockingly and letting her mouth fall open.

“Bye, V. Have a good day!” Betty smiled and blew a kiss at her friend.

“Bye B.  Don’t fall into anyone’s lap!”

“I won’t, I save that only for special occasions.”

“Love your skirt!” Veronica called out just as she was about to close the door.

“That’s because you bought it!” she yelled back, laughing.

And laughter was the only answer she got in return.

 

 _“It’s not funny! I’m telling you it’s not even a little amusing!”_ _Betty proclaimed, dropping her palms on her knees. “It was horrible!”_

_She was only met with more laughter and she couldn’t help but chuckle herself. She took another bite of her sesame chicken and waited for her friends to calm down._

_“I’m sorry, Betty, but I keep imagining you falling into some random man’s lap.”Archie said, running his fingers through his hair before starting to laugh again._

_“You are worse than children. Seriously, I would be ashamed to be seen with you in public.”_

_“That’s okay, B. You could just fall into someone’s lap and pretend you’re with them and not us.” Veronica chimed in and Betty rolled her eyes as, once again, laughter continued._

_“Are you going to stop laughing and let me tell you the whole story or should I just keep it to myself?”_

_“Sorry, sorry, we’re listening.”_

_“As I was saying,” she started the story again, looking pointedly at three individuals surrounding her, daring them to interrupt her. “I was walking down the La Rambla street. I was enjoying the sun, oh V. I bought that flowery dress that day!”_

_“The long one with blue flowers?”_

_“Yes!”_

_“I love that dress, I’ll have to borr—”_

_“And back to the story?” Archie interrupted them, smiling._

_“Don’t be a bore, Archiebald.”_

_“Sorry_ Elizabeth _._ _”_

_“Truce?” she smiled, her lips twisted in a sour expression after hearing her first name._

_“Of course.”_

_“This story has such a build up that I’m just waiting for it to disappoint me.” Dark-haired boy next to Betty commented, his lips drawn in a lazy smile._

_“You can’t say I didn’t warn you.” Betty chuckled and shook her head, her ponytail bouncing slightly. “Anyways, I was walking, minding my own business. And so, there are cafes there, next to the walking trail, right? Suddenly I feel a push at my side and I’m falling. My eyes are shut, nothing is in slow motion as you’d think it would be, I’m waiting to hit the ground and I don’t. Instead I fell into the lap of a middle aged man with a, I am not kidding you, French mustache. His eyes are wide open and then suddenly he’s all excited, smiling creepily, blushing._ Mademoissele, quelle surprise! _And then his hand is on my ass and I squeal and jump up and_ he’s not letting me go _and his hand is squeezing my butt. He keeps talking and I pretend I don’t speak French. Then I started slapping him all over his head and ran away when he finally let go of me.”_

_She sheepishly looks up at them and they are all looking at her wide eyed before bursting into laughter._

_“Build- up deserved!” Jughead announces through laughter and Betty can feel her cheeks warming a little and she feels happy that she’s made this guy who she’s just met laugh._

 

*******

 

Smell of coffee and fresh bagels filled her senses as she opened the door to the small café. Warm air engulfed her in its embrace and she closed her eyes enjoying the sensation. 

She has visited the café for the first time a few days after she moved in. And it has lived up to the expectations. Coffee was great and pastries even better. It was never too crowded nor too loud. The music playing was calming and it was a perfect environment for her to just catch a break when she needed to.

Today though it was full, there was a line and she stepped behind the last person waiting for their fix of caffeine. There were two people in front of her and she glanced around, searching for a free table. She sighed in relief when she spotted two free spots.

She should’ve guess that the café would be busier with the end of summer. She looked down at her watch and nodded to herself when she saw that she still had more than enough time.

Her stomach grunted a little and she placed her palm on it squeezing a little trying to suppress hunger. She already knew what she’d get. A vanilla cappuccino sprinkled with chocolate and a raspberry-lemon tart. Her mouth watered at the thought of the perfect sweet sour taste.

She looked around, observing people around her. Her attention was snapped away as she concentrated on the song that came on. Dull ache appeared in her stomach as she recognized the first beats of a melody. Ed Sheeran’s voice seeped through the speakers and she closed her eyes, absorbing the words coming out.

When she first heard this song, she started crying at a second line of it, her eyes welling up immediately. Archie and Veronica have just started going out and this song was an almost exact interpretation of what she was feeling.

“ _I saw you in another’s arms_ ”

She could feel the familiar pain waking up inside her and she looked at her feet willing her eyes not to water.

“ _I saw that both your smiles were twice as wide as ours,_

 _Yeah, you look happier, you do._ ”

Shaking her head a little, she tried to chase away thoughts of Archie Andrews because today was going to be a good day and she is not going to let this boy take that away from her.

“’ _Cause baby you look happier, you do_ ”

She looked down at her wrist watch and tried to ignore the song that she knew by heart.

She moved with the line and she rummaged through her bag, looking for her wallet, when there was only one person left in front of her.

“Good morning. What can I get you?” a young guy behind the counter asked her with a polite smile.

“Vanilla cappuccino and a raspberry-lemon tart, please.”

“Sorry, we’re out of raspberry-lemon tarts. Something else, maybe?” her face fell a little at his words, but she smiled again, determined not to let this small thing ruin her morning.

“Do you have a blueberry one?”

“Coming right up.” the cashier replied before going to get her order.

Three minutes later he handed her a small plate with her order on it.

“Thank you. Have a nice day.” She wished him and turned, her gaze searching for a free table.

But there were none. Everything was full and she could only walk to the improvised table that stretched along the wall.

She put her bag next to her plate and said a prayer before eating her breakfast. She did not enjoy eating standing up but there was no way she’d wait for a table to clear. Warmth seeped through her veins as she took a sip of her cappuccino. It was the perfect temperature- not too hot, not too cold. Just like she likes it. And even though the blueberry tart wasn’t as good as the raspberry-lemon one and she had to eat standing up, she was content, happy almost because she did it. She made it here.

She made it to college. Away from all the fighting and all the drama. Away from her nagging, overbearing mother and her always-too-busy father. She’s made it here and she has no one to thank but herself. She studied hard and never let her grades slip. She has spent many days studying when she could’ve been having fun. She’s spent many nights revising instead of filling up on sleep. And she has made it here and she should be proud.

The clock on the wall told her she had 25 minutes to get to her class and she took the last piece of blueberry tart between her fingers. She brought it to her lips and just before she bit in it someone behind her pushed her and it fell down, down, down on her white skirt. She just stood there for a moment, not moving, ignoring the girl’s rushed ‘ _Sorry_ ’. Her gaze connected with the stain that now adorned her never-worn-before skirt.

Slowly, she closed her eyes and breathed in shakily because this was not happening. This was not happening on her first day of college. Snapping out of her daze she, once again, looked at the watch and saw that she did not have enough time to go change or she’d be late and that was just unacceptable. And so she took her bag and walked out of the comfort and warmth of the café into the rushed street.

She looks up to the window of her room longingly, wishing she could go back and change. Instead she just sighs and just as she’s about to turn her head from the building, she sees a blur of a denim jacket and a crown-shaped beanie.

She watches her new neighbor walk inside their building before she turns around and joins the people on the street, rushing to get to their destinations.

_“Oh, don’t be mad at me! I still think it’s adorable how you keep trying.”_

_Archie only smiled before calling out: “Jughead, dinner!”_

_Two minutes later the door behind their backs opened, then closed and Betty turned to look at the boy who stepped into the living room._

_“Was about time mate, dinner’s gonna get cold.” Archie said to his friend and he just laughed._

_“Well, since you’ve cooked I bet that can only improve the taste.” He responded before walking up to Betty. He outstretched his arm for her to shake and she stood up politely, smiling at him. He had good 10 centimeters on her 170. He was wearing a dark blue T-Shirt and a grayish crown shaped beanie._

_“Betty Cooper.” She introduced herself as she took his hand in hers._

_“Jughead Jones the third.” He smiled and let go of her, sitting down on the chair next to hers. “Nice to meet you, Betty. I’ve heard loads about you.”_

_“Did you now?” she asked suspiciously and turned to squint at her best friend with distrust. Archie just raised his arms in defense, his palms facing her, his eyes opened wide with what she could recognize as fake innocence swimming around his gaze._

_“Yeah. I now know that you are a good cook and that you used to want to be a boy when you were little and would always steal Archie’s clothes.”_

_“You really do love embarrassing me, don’t you?” she asked Archie who only laughed and pushed the food towards Jughead as though he hasn’t heard her._

_“Wait, I thought I was promised a homemade meal-”_

_“Yeah, yeah, I burnt it. You’re not allowed to comment.”_

_“I guess this is a safer option.”_

_“Oh, shut up, all three of you, I’d like to see you make something.” All of them just laughed and started eating._

_“So, Jughead, are you in college?”Betty asked, looking up at the dark-haired boy next to her._

_“Yes, I’m studying comparative literature and film and television with specialization in film.” He nodded.”Archie said you’re studying journalism?”_

_“Oh, yes, B here is the next big New York Times journalist.” Veronica winked at her friend before taking a bite off her fork._

_Betty just rolled her eyes and blushed, her eyes meeting the stare of the boy beside her and she blushed even more at his unwavering gaze._

 

***

She sat down at the wooden bench in front of the building where she had her first class of the day. After rummaging through her bag, she managed to find wet wipes and she focused on the stain on her skirt, trying to figure out whether she should even try to clean it.

She balanced the umbrella in her hand and went on to scrub off the blue mess on the white material. She pushed the wipe over it three times when she realized that she only made it worse. She huffed angrily, annoyance creeping into her perfectly good mood. She threw it away and got up, walking to the building, trying to balance her bag to cover up the stain.

Her first class of the day was Introduction to journalism, followed by Editorial design.

She was excited for all of her classes. Everything sounded so excited and new and she couldn’t wait to get into it.

Since she had to deal with the blueberry tart mess she was a bit later than the rest of the students and all the good seats were taken. So she went on and sat further away from the front. That made her sigh sadly and she had to admit that despite all her planning and wishing, this day wasn’t going very well.

The teacher came in and everyone went silent.

And for the next hour and a half she had fun. She eagerly took notes and even managed to gather the courage to ask a question.

For the next hour and a half everything was good and then it wasn’t.

She had fifteen minutes to get to her second class which was in another building.

She got outside, her green umbrella tightly clutched in her hand as she tried to orientate, trying to get a sense of where to go. And it was ridiculous, really, how lost she was, given the fact that she has spent almost an hour the other day on Google maps, searching buildings where she had classes and learning how to get to them.

And so she went left and was walking and walking when she realized she was supposed to go right. So she went back and walked and walked and then wasn’t sure which building was the right one and it took her what seemed like an eternity to find her notebook where she had her schedule written out.

And then she was late.

And it all looked like a scene from a movie. Her trying to sneakily get inside, but of course everyone was silent and the door just had to make squeaky sounds and _everyone_ was looking at her and Betty Cooper turned red and wished to fall asleep and not wake up until tomorrow. The teacher asked what her name was and then inquired her to repeat it because she was too quiet the first time and someone snickered and she wanted to turn on her heal and never come back.

But being Betty Cooper she just smiled politely, apologized and found an empty seat with her head held high and her shoulders squared.

Next two hours were torture and by the time she got out, the rain was pouring harder than before, the wind was raging and her stomach was growling.

She didn’t feel like cooking when she got home so she went to a small diner on the other side of the street.

The waitress has just placed her spaghetti in front of her and the wonderful smell dazed her and she has only picked up her fork when her phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Hello Elizabeth.” Her mother greeted her. “How was your first day?”

“Hi, mom. It was… interesting.”

“Did you get a chance to talk to your teachers?”

“Not really.” She sighed and debated whether or not to tell her mother about being late. She decided to tell her and then when Alice started nagging and scolding her she regretted it.

_Betty stood outside the entrance of their building, her arms wrapped around herself, shielding her from cold, with a small smile on her lips. Sun has just showed itself from behind the clouds and she enjoyed the light warmth on her cheeks. The city was just waking up and the streets were almost empty._

_Her father has called her five minutes prior, telling her to come down because he was almost there. And so she put on her jacket and went outside to wait for him. She smiled when she saw his car nearing and stepped down from the step that was separating the street and the door of their building._

_As the car came closer she squinted a little, trying to see better because it looked like someone was in the passenger seat._

_“Oh, no.” she whispered as he stopped in front of her and she saw no one other but her scowling mother sitting next to her father. “Oh, dad, why?”_

_“Hello.” She said, with fake cheer in her voice and a plastered smile on her lips. “Mom, what are you doing here?”_

_“Well, I’ve decided to come to make sure everything goes okay, but your_ father’s _driving is so good he almost got us killed three times on our way here!” she practically yells, slamming the car door as she gets out._

_“Maybe if you weren’t nagging the entire drive here I could concentrate on the road and not your voice!”_

_Betty sighed sadly, knowing that they would continue fighting the entire day and what was supposed to be a nice day spent with her father turned out to be a complete disaster with a cherry on top._

Her spaghetti grew cold by the time her mother finished her tirade and Betty had to make herself eat the cold pasta and not let the tears gathering in her eyes slip down her cheeks.

 

***

There is one thing that all of her friends know about Betty Cooper. And that is the fact that she is a cheerful person who always searches for the flicker of light in the darkest moments.

She searches and searches until she finds the good thing that can come out of something bad and ugly.

When she encounters a problem she smiles, takes a deep breath, puts on her thinking face and tries to find a solution. And if she can’t find a solution she lists all the small, good things that could come out of that bad situation. Then she sleeps on it and wakes up in the morning, ready to conquer what life throws at her next.

She is always polite and smiles at people who are rude to her. She smiles at strangers that pass her on the street. She always tries to make people feel better and helps to make their day a bit brighter.

Betty Cooper believes that the world would be a better place if only a couple more people chose to smile when life throws them lemons. After all, if not for the lemons there would be no lemonade on hot, summer days.

And when she has a bad day Betty makes herself a cup of hot chocolate, puts on her favorite _Ed Sheeran CD_ and thinks about all the small, good things that made her happy that day.

But when she climbs two flights of stairs on her way to her apartment and manages to trip and fall, two steps before her floor, she slams her umbrella on the floor and sits down. She huffs angrily and tries to catch her breath.

“C’mon Betty, be positive.” She whispers, willing herself not to cry.

But sometimes not even she can always have a smile on her lips and the tears spill and she wipes them away angrily. Her phone buzzes with an incoming message just as the door behind her closes and once again, she quickly swipes her fingers under her eyes, blinking a couple of times to erase the blurriness.

A shadow looms over her and she looks up at the familiar voice.

“Well, you look positively cheerful.” Jughead Jones says, standing one step above her, his hands stuffed in his pocket and a slight smile on his lips.

She chuckles and shakes her head. “Hi.”

“Hi.” He sits down next to her, much to her surprise and places his arms on his knees. “What are you doing?”

“Just… hanging out.”

“Yeah, this is my favorite place to _chill_ too.” He nods, serious expression on his face and he emphasizes the word chill and somehow she knows that it’s not the regular occurrence in his speech. “I love the dimmed lighting and dirty floors.”

“Don’t forget the smell of wet carpet.” Betty offers and the smile on her lips is more genuine than before.

“Oh, yes, the smell. My favorite part.“ he smirks before his face grows serious. “Really, any special reason you’re hanging out here and not in your apartment ten feet away?”

She shakes her head and breathes in trying to ignore the tears that have once again gathered in her eyes. “I’ve had a _really_ sucky day.”

He just keeps looking at her and she can tell that he wants her to elaborate.

“I managed to stain my skirt which I haven’t even worn before and all before I even got to college.” She points out the dark smudge on her skirt and raises her hand up, counting off her fingers as she continues. “I only made it worse when I tried to wipe it away and didn’t have enough time to go home to change. I was the last person to get to my class and I got one of the worst seats and I had to really try to hear the professor. I got lost on my way to my other class and was late which resulted in the teacher calling me out, of course. My mother called and I’ve made the mistake of telling her that I was late so I’ve spent half an hour listening to her nag me about it and when she finally finished my food was practically ice cold. And I’ve tripped and fell just now. Oh, and, and the entire day I have a craving for a raspberry-lemon tart but they ran out of them this morning and I’ve just realized that we don’t have any hot chocolate in the apartment which makes this day suck even more.”

She was red in her cheeks when she finally finished listing everything that happened to her.

“Don’t forget the rain.” Jughead said couple of seconds later and her eyes snapped to him, blushing when she realized that she’s just spent two minutes complaining to someone she didn’t even know. “Rain sucked too. I managed to step into a huge puddle on my way to college.”

“I’m sorry.” She apologized, bowing her head as shame flooded her. She placed her face in her hands and shook her head. “I am so sorry. I’m not usually like this. I don’t go around complaining to defenseless guys.”

He stood up and patted her shoulder lightly. “Wait here.”

And that was all he said before jogging down the stairs.

Five minutes later she heard his steps echoing through the stairwell and a minute later his beanie-covered head appeared in front of her.

He climbed the few steps that separated them, his arms behind his back. He smiled widely, before pushing a paper bag towards her.

She frowned, confused, taking it in her hand.

“Maybe this’ll make your day just a little bit better.”

At the bottom of the bag there were two raspberry-lemon tarts and a steaming, to-go cup of hot chocolate.

She looked up at his smiling face and her lips stretched in a wide smile, her chest filling with warm feeling of gratitude for this guy that she’s met a week ago, but who somehow knew how to show her a little bit of light in this gloomy day when not even she knew how.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this!  
> 1\. Do you like where this is going so far?  
> 2\. Are characters OOC?  
> 3: What do you think about how Jughead handled the situation at hand?  
> 4\. Favorite line?  
> 5: Favorite part?  
> 6: Anything you didn't like?  
> 7: Do you want to read more?  
> Also, this story is also about Betty getting over Archie and there will be instances like these. Getting over someone is hard and even though sometimes we know they're not right for us we still have trouble letting so, so please bear with me here. All of you who are going through what Betty and even kind of myself are going through, will know how it feels!  
> Kisses xX

**Author's Note:**

> Here you go! I hope you liked this! Did you like this?  
> Please let me know down in the comments or message me at Tumblr (stiiliinsski.tumblr.com )  
> Some questions to help you collect your thoughts and let me know what you think!  
> 1: Do you like the plot line?  
> 2: Are characters OOC?  
> 3: Favorite line?  
> 4: Favorite part?  
> 5: Anything you didn't like?  
> 6: Do you want to read more?


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